Reactive ion beam etching method and a thin film head fabricated using the method
US6238582A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 30, 1999 |
| Grant date | May 29, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 30, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B5/3163
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A reactive ion beam etching method which employs an oxidizing agent in a plasma contained in an ion source to control carbonaceous deposit (e.g., polymer) formation within the ion source and on the substrate. During operation of an ion source, after operating the ion source with a plasma having a carbonaceous deposit forming species, a plasma containing an oxidizing agent (species) is generated within the ion source. Preferably, within the ion source a plasma is maintained essentially continuously between the time that the carbonaceous deposit forming species is present and the time that the oxidizing agent is present. A reactive ion beam extracted from an ion source containing a plasma having an oxidizing species may be impinged onto a sample substrate to remove (i.e., etch) any carbonaceous material deposits (e.g., polymers) formed on the sample, such as may be formed from previous reactive ion beam etching (RIBE) processing steps using an ion beam having species which may form carbonaceous (e.g., polymer) deposits on the sample substrate structure. Preferably, a reactive ion beam containing an oxidizing species is incident upon the sample at an angle which enhances the selectivi…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.